L I F E
by Gasanechi
Summary: Uchiha Madara had won. The few surviving members of the Ninja Alliance had been annihilated. In order to save countless of lives and restore balance in the world, a dying Sakura was sent back in time by an utterly unexpected individual. Time Travel.
1. Say What!

**LIFE**

**Summary:** Uchiha Madara had won. The few surviving members of the Ninja Alliance had been annihilated. In order to save countless of lives and restore balance in the world, a dying Sakura was sent back in time by an utterly unexpected individual. Time Travel.

* * *

**…L…**

* * *

..

_**Sakura**_

..

A bloodied hand twitched.

That was the only indication that the woman, whom was lying down the muddy ground, gave at the call of her name.

Well, in a way, it _was_ muddy.

Only problem was, that it was her blood which covered the ground, resulting to its muddy consistency.

..

_**Sakura**_

..

At the incessant call, the woman's eyelashes fluttered, as she neared the brink of consciousness.

Her brows furrowed as she registered the dull pain and general malaise that constantly coursed through her body. Coupled that with a pounding headache, she was gradually being dragged back to the comfortable darkness.

But it seemed that whoever was calling her didn't want that.

..

_**Awaken, Child.**_

..

The woman was forcibly yanked from the depths of her slumber as the commanding voice called out to her once again.

Weakly, she began to force herself to open her eyes. It was pathetic that even such a simple act took a great toll from her.

Slowly, yet surely, her eyes opened halfway only to take sight of the blood red moon that hovered over the black night sky.

Unwittingly, her sight blurred as tears fell from those dull eyes.

Funny.

She thought that she had lost the ability to cry months ago.

Guess not.

..

_**Sakura**_

..

There was that voice again.

"…Wh-… W-… Who?..." came her hoarse voice, she winced at the strain in her throat as she forced those words to come out.

Her body felt like lead, she couldn't even move her body to defend herself if the need arose. The most she could do was to occasionally twitch some of her fingers.

Hell, it wasn't like someone needed to finish her off. They could just leave her alone and she would still die anyway.

Sakura knew that she didn't have much time left.

She could feel it.

"_**Sakura**_."

Sakura spotted a flash of white from her periphery, yet she couldn't even summon the strength to turn her head to investigate.

It was futile.

Her tears stopped awhile ago as she had accepted her situation.

There was nothing that she could do about her condition. It was just too late.

It didn't matter if the individual that was calling her was a friend or a foe. She would die either way.

It was only a matter of time until death claimed her.

She closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.

It was for that reason that she didn't notice that the individual settled by her side.

She gasped in fright as an ice-cold hand suddenly covered her eyes.

"_**You are dying**_**.**" A feminine voice sounded, just right above her.

'_Well, no shit captain obvious._' Thought Sakura, sarcastically. Of course, she didn't dare say it out loud as she was literally in the mercy of this woman. And even if she had the gall to say it, she couldn't, her throat was too dry for that, and she didn't need any more pain added to the one that she's currently experiencing.

"_**You **_**will**_** hold your tongue, Child.**_" Came the sharp and stern reply of the woman. Her palm pressed down on her eyes, as her sharp fingernails dug painfully on the sides of her head.

Sakura could literally feel her heart jumped right up her throat as absolute fright grabbed her whole being.

'_Y-You… You could hear me? Wait no, that's not possible, there's simply no way that-… Unless, she has a Kekkei Genkai or-… Did I say that out loud? I swear that-!_'

"_**Halt your worthless ramblings at once!**_" commanded the woman, obviously irritated.

If a pissed-off mind-reading woman with her sharp claws clutching your head tells you to stop. You stop.

So Sakura, despite her pounding heart and all, immediately shut up.

The woman, sensing Sakura's obedience, sighed wearily before easing her tight hold on the other's head.

"_**As I said earlier, you are dying, and there's nothing anyone could do about this fact. In a matter of moments, you will be gone from this world, Haruno Sakura.**_"

Sakura, not wanting to suffer from this woman's ire, held back her retort. She would rather pass her last moments in this world peacefully.

"_**As such, I will entrust you with a mission-**_"

'_Wait- WHAT?!_'interrupted Sakura, bewildered.

"_**I do not condone being interrupted, Child.**_" Came the hissed disapproval of the woman.

'_Um… Yeah, about that… You just said that I don't have long before I die_,' Sakura pointed out, frowning. '_And now you're telling me that you're giving me a mission? And why would I even, let's say, accept this _mission_? I don't even know you._'

Then there was silence as she finished her rant.

Right away, Sakura deeply regretted it as the temperature around her dropped by several degrees. Her breath came in painful gasps as fear gripped her heart at the copious amount of killing intent that was let loose by the woman. It was nothing like she had ever experienced before.

Least to say, she had never been more terrified in her life as she did in this particular moment.

Not even when that bastard dealt that mortal blow on her.

"_**Interrupt me again, then I will not hesitate to kill you in the most painful way possible you annoying little brat.**_" The woman coldly replied in a cutting voice.

Sakura didn't even dare move, heck; she didn't even dare _breathe_ in the next couple of moments.

"_**Splendid, I see that you have learned your lesson. Now, let's continue on, shall we?**_"

'_H-Hai._'

Unbeknownst to her, the woman's lips twitched in amusement at her suddenly obedient personality. However, gradually, her expression changed in sorrow as she took on the sight of the child's battered body.

'_You have come a long way. You have done so much to prove your worth, suffered for it greatly… yet, in the end…_' Thought the woman.

"_**I will entrust you with a mission.**_" The woman started again. "_**I will not give you the choice as to whether you will accept it or not. You **_**will**_** do this mission, and you **_**will**_** accomplish it to the best of your capabilities. Failure to do so on your part is not an option to be considered.**_"

Sakura had so many questions floating in the back of her mind, yet she held back as she sensed the woman's imposing aura.

Whoever this woman was, she was used to getting her way, no questions asked. A noble maybe? Yet, she had the presence of a Shinobi, as evidenced by the use of her killing intent earlier. Even now, Sakura could literally feel the chakra that was continuously oozing out of this unknown woman.

If Sakura didn't know any better, this woman could be a Kage. However, since all five Kage died all those months ago, that was certainly out of the question.

"_**The world suffered greatly in the hands of one man. Yet, countless had a hand in its machination, countless had triggered this genocide that had come to pass. And that man knew it; he had taken advantage of it and only sped up the process of this world's destruction.**_"

Sakura had felt a gasp coming, however, her throat was too parched for it. She winced as her throat burned at her involuntary action.

As if sensing Sakura's internal turmoil, the woman continued.

"_**The world is nearing its destruction.**_" The woman stated. "_**That foolish man had thought that he could control and shape the world as he saw fit, thought that he was a god that should be revered by all. However, in his path to greatness, he unbalanced the flow of energy of this world. Blinded by his pursuit of power, he had unleashed that **_**beast**_**, that **_**abomination**_**.**_"

The woman's hold on Sakura's head tightened yet again in anger, before a self-depreciating laugh escaped from her lips.

That empty laugh made Sakura shiver from its hollowness.

"_**Of course, I confess that I am a hypocrite for even saying such things.**_" Continued the woman, rather sardonically. "_**Either way, it's only a matter of time before that beast consumes him.**_"

'But… I thought that… Uchiha-…' thought Sakura, utter confusion warring inside her.

"_**Uchiha Madara is nothing but a foolish man, nay, a foolish child that thought that he could control the Shinju. That arrogance of his will lead him to his eventual demise once the Shinju gets tired of toying with him.**_" Said the woman, voice devoid of emotion. "_**As you have guessed, the Shinju cannot just simply be controlled to the whims of men; the Shinju is an innate force of nature whose only goal is to bring despair and destruction upon this world. Eventually, the Shinju will devour Madara and proceed to annihilate all of mankind.**_"

Blown by this revelation, Sakura felt ringing in her ears as she tried to grasp the facts that this woman was uttering.

I mean, how the hell could this woman be so calm when talking about the destruction of the world?

"_**Haruno Sakura.**_" Her attention focused again on the woman whom called her with such an authoritative voice. "_**The mission that I will hand down to you is to prevent the destruction of this world.**_"

Sakura felt like a huge boulder the size of the Hokage Monument was suddenly dropped down to her chest as she was winded by this command.

"Wh-Wha-?!" she exclaimed in surprise, temporarily forgetting that her throat ached like hell.

As such, she violently coughed as her throat closed down and painfully scraped together. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth as her hacking continued on for a few moments, further inflicting injury on her body.

The woman just watched impassively as the child proceeded to calm down from this revelation.

'_How-… No, the correct question is… Why me?_' Sakura asked, gathering her mind altogether.

There was silence for a few moments before the woman finally decided to break it.

"_**I have watched over you for a long time now, Haruno Sakura.**_" The woman answered simply. "_**I have seen your constant struggles in life, how you handled it, and how you dealt with it. I find your decisions in difficult situations to be satisfactory, enough to know that you will handle this mission in a prompt and delicate, yet efficient way.**_"

For some reason, hell, _a lot of reasons_, Sakura didn't buy the woman's excuse.

'_Look,… Uh, lady,_' Sakura started, not knowing what to call the woman, seeing as that she hadn't yet introduced herself. '_You had just told me the world is nearing its destruction caused by that bastard Madara, the Shinju is out on a rampage to kill every last human being alive, and then you just handed me down this crazy-ass mission, telling me to stop the world's imminent destruction. The least you could do is to tell me the truth. And more importantly, just in case you've forgotten, I'm dying. For Kami's sake, I can't even move my legs, what the hell? I can't even talk to you properly, let alone utter two words without coughing myself to death. So yeah, forgive me if I don't buy your answer. Hell, at least tell me your name, this conversation was pretty much one-sided right from the start._'

Sakura knew that she had crossed the line.

Well, tough.

She found out that she didn't care. She was dying anyway, the most that the woman could do was to speed up the process.

It didn't stop her from being shocked however, as the woman beside her let out a booming laugh.

Forcing her pounding heart to calm down, Sakura began to feel uneasy as the woman continued to laugh, fearing she went over the end of the cliff and turned bat-shit crazy.

For some reason, this laugh was devoid of any malice, as was the case earlier, instead it's bursting with pure amusement.

She didn't know whether to be offended or not.

"_**You amuse me so, my Child.**_" The woman finally uttered, coming down from her high. "_**In all of my existence, I had not been talked to in such a manner. I admit that it was quite refreshing.**_"

Sakura really didn't know how to respond to that.

'_Um, ok,… thanks,… I guess…?_' Alright, not her most articulate response ever, but what the heck? She's dying here.

"_**As for your question, and I'm only answering you because I deign you amusing.**_" The woman continued. "_**I am Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.**_"

For some reason, Sakura thought that she heard that name somewhere.

Before she could marvel at the woman's name, Kaguya interrupted her thoughts.

"_**You do not have much time left; I sense your life essence starting to fade.**_" Said Kaguya, in an even tone.

At that, with eyes already closed since Kaguya's delicate hand was still upon her, Sakura smiled sadly as she accepted her fate.

"_**It needs to be done now.**_"

Hm? What?

"_**Listen carefully, Haruno Sakura.**_" Kaguya stated. "_**It matters not why I have chosen you as the recipient of this mission. I do have my reasons, call it a whim if you must, but we have more urgent matters to attend to. You will succeed at this mission, failure to do so will lead to the world's destruction and the annihilation of mankind. It is now all up to you how you play your part.**_"

'_Huh! What?!_' started Sakura, shocked. '_But I can't! I'm already dying, and even so, I don't have the power to do it! Don't you see the situation I'm in right now? All it took was one swat from Madara, and look at the situation I'm in, dying on a pool of my own blood. So, how on earth am I going to-_'

"_**I held no delusions regarding your power levels.**_" Interrupted Kaguya, rather calmly, much to Sakura's irritation. "_**If you were to face Madara now, you wouldn't even last a second. Just look at the situation you're in. You are far too weak.**_"

Ouch.

Well, that hurt.

"_**As such, I would be transferring all my powers to you.**_" Kaguya declared, firmly gripping Sakura head in her clutch once again.

'_Huh?!_' That certainly was fast becoming her favorite word right now.

"_**If you wish to succeed at this mission, then you had to have the power to do so. I can give you that power.**_"

'…_But, why?_...'

There was a slight pause as Kaguya contemplated on what to say.

"_**I have done so much… damage to this world.**_" Kaguya finally said, melancholy coating her words. "_**I do not regret my actions, as every action that I do is all for what I perceive as the greater good. I am not a saint, Sakura, I do not repent. I do not lament the lives that I had taken. However, I will not stand by to just watch as a foolish child undo both of my sons' work.**_"

"_**Many may call me a Demon, some a Goddess. But first and foremost, I am a Mother.**_"

Sakura stayed quiet throughout Kaguya's monologue.

"_**For both of my sons' sake, I will be selfish. It matters not the consequences that my action today will bring. You will receive my power, even at the cost of the end of my existence.**_"

Sakura gasped, stunned by the implication of Kaguya's words.

"_**Hush, my Child.**_" Kaguya said, stopping Sakura before she could even say a word. "_**This is the least I could do as to all the evils that I had unleashed on this world. I would do this either way; you may choose what to do with my power at your disposal. However, I am certain that you know the consequences if you so choose to just stand by and watch as the events comes to pass again, with no intervention whatsoever on your part. You are an intelligent woman, Haruno Sakura.**_"

'… _How?_...'

"_**You will be sent back in time, back to where your life had begun.**_" Kaguya answered. "_**But I fear there are things that cannot be. Such as sending one existing soul back where another soul currently resides. As such, at the cost of sending you back, the Haruno Sakura of then will cease to exist.**_"

'… _I see._'

"_**Then let us begin.**_"

With that, Kaguya pressed her hand down and let the tight control she had on her chakra burst forth.

In a distance, Sakura could hear a grotesque sound of a torturous scream; it took a moment for her to realize that the sound came from her own mouth.

Sakura's whole body went ablaze with inferno as multitudes of foreign chakra was forced down her every pores. Her eyes for one, felt like it was on fire.

She was rapidly drifting towards the blackness that threatened to consume her being.

"_**Farewell, Haruno Sakura.**_"

Was Kaguya's last words as Sakura fell into the darkness.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

Not caring in the least to the fact that her throat hurt like fuck, Sakura continued screaming all the way as her body felt like it had been stabbed, skewered, smashed, and went ablaze, over and over again.

But nothing compared as to the time when it felt like she was being squeezed all over her body. It was like someone forced her to slide through an _extremely_ tight tube, indifferent that her bones might break. The one good thing, or bad thing really, that it did to be placed in this situation was that she stopped screaming. Not that it was her choice, she just couldn't scream, couldn't _breathe_ for that matter.

She did notice though, that someone else seemed to be screaming for her. It was just a faint sound at first, but as she passed gradually through the tube, it became louder and louder.

At last, after what seemed like hours, she _finally_ slid through the end of the hell hole.

She wanted to rejoice and shout: 'Freedom!'

But alas, things seemed to not be working well for her at all.

Why, you ask?

Because she still couldn't breathe.

'_Aw, Hell No! I didn't go through all that just to suffocate like a bitch!_'

As she had just finished her thoughts, a gigantic hand grabbed her body and proceeded to seemingly wipe her and wrap her tightly with a large cloth that encompassed her entire body.

Sakura was just beginning to panic, wondering who in the world was manhandling her, when suddenly a contraption was forced through her nose, removing the fluids that blocked her passageway, and then the process was repeated to her mouth.

'_Suction?_' supplied Sakura's mind.

As the suction catheter was removed from her mouth, she thanked whoever deity there may be as she could breathe once again.

Utterly exhausted from what she had just endured, Sakura felt herself slowly drifting to sleep, and she would've gladly welcomed it were it not for the sudden jarring of her body.

She could hear voices, but her mind refused to cooperate, so she once again slowly drifted off when her body was jarred again. Now it felt like she was being transferred from one giant hand to the next.

Confused, she slowly – not to mention, weakly – opened her eyes, and saw a gigantic face looming down on her.

In a span of a second, Sakura watched in morbid fascination as the giant's expression before her contorted in shock before it suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream.

So she did the logical thing to do.

And screamed back in return.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

Haruno Mebuki was deeply exhausted. No surprise there as she had just particularly went through a difficult delivery.

Still clutching her husband's broken hand, courtesy of yours truly, she watched through half-lidded eyes as her baby was wrapped in a blanket and was attended to by the medics.

"I'm proud of you." Said Kizashi, smiling gently at his tired wife, as he gently ran his hand through her hair, before kissing her forehead.

Mebuki couldn't help but smile at the loving gestures of her husband.

"I'm sorry." She apologized as she looked down at his broken hand.

"Don't worry about it; you have gone through so much more. It's the least I could do." Replied Kizashi, wincing slightly, before smiling reassuredly at his wife.

"And I don't mean it when I said I'll have your bits cut off in the local butcher shop." She hastily added, remembering that embarrassing event earlier when she hit a particularly painful contraction.

Kizashi let out a bark of laugh as he remembered that.

"I know, you'll miss it too much." Winking at his wife, he let out another laugh as he saw his endearing wife's blushing face.

"Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san." Called out the head medic in regards to her care. "Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl."

And with that, the medic presented their baby to them.

It was a cute baby girl, with soft tufts of pink hair, and a pair of pinkish chubby cheeks that glowed in a healthy manner.

She certainly made an adorable sight.

The new parent's couldn't help but beam in happiness as they saw their child.

Carefully, the medic placed the baby in Mebuki's gentle arms.

"So, do you have a name for the baby yet." Asked the medic.

Mebuki looked at Kizashi's smiling face first before taking in the details of her beautiful baby once again.

"Sakura." Said Mebuki, gently tracing the cheek of her baby. "Haruno Sakura."

Mebuki glanced at Kizashi again, looking for approval.

In return, Kizashi just embraced the important women in his life, whilst gently smiling at them.

"I like it." Said Kizashi, kissing Mebuki once again, before looking down at his baby, all the while leaning the side of his head against his wife.

They both watched in happiness and fascination as Sakura slowly scrunched her little features before her tiny lashes fluttered, her eyes slowly started to open to gaze at them.

Instead of the striking green eyes that they expected Sakura to possess, since both of them had green eyes, what stared back at them was absolutely what they didn't expect to.

Staring back at them was a pair of light purple eyes with ripple-like patterns that spread throughout the eyeballs of their daughter.

Mebuki's face contorted in shock before she let out a blood-curdling scream.

Sakura soon followed after.

..

* * *

**A/N****:** Another fic yet again, I'm actually kind of surprised that I only made a Sakura fic now, since she's my favorite character.

Yeah, I gave Sakura the Rinnegan. I know that Kaguya has the Sharingan and the Byakugan, and originally, I planned to give those two Kekkei Genkai to Sakura, but since I don't particularly like Sakura having a third eye on her forehead ( I actually detest the idea ), I settled for the Rinnegan.

Why the hell not? Kaguya gave all of her powers to Sakura, but during the process of giving it, her powers mixed, which resulted to the creation of Rinnegan in Sakura. Let's just assume that that was exactly what happened. After all, Kaguya was the mother of Hagoromo, who possessed the Rinnegan. And there are theories that suggest that the Rinnegan developed from both the Byakugan and the Sharingan. So yeah.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it; I would really appreciate it if you let me know what you think of this fic. Any suggestions, advices, or criticisms will be welcomed.

Thank you, and have a good day. :)


	2. Beautiful Nightmare

**L I F E**

**Summary: **Uchiha Madara had won. The few surviving members of the Ninja Alliance had been annihilated. In order to save countless of lives and restore balance in the world, a dying Sakura was sent back in time by an utterly unexpected individual. Time Travel.

* * *

**…L…**

* * *

Sakura continued to scream.

At first, she screamed out of shock and horror at the gigantic face looming down on her. But, as her mind caught up to her and processed the current situation, a new emotion suffocated her.

..

_Disbelief_

_.._

_Pain_

_.._

_Suffering_

_.._

_Despair_

..

These unforgiving emotions, among many others, raged inside her at the predicament that she found herself in. It threatened to consume her whole, dragging her into the dark abyss of insanity.

She could never forget that face. No, she would _never_ forget that face.

…

…

_Unseeing eyes blankly gazed ahead._

_Her hands trembled, the dark stain of blood that covered them had been washed away by the torrid rain that pelted at her broken form._

_'No!'_

_She screamed herself hoarse, unable to accept, unable to even comprehend the tortuous event. She was still wrapped in her throes of denial._

_The dark skies joined the distraught woman in her agony, as it continued to rain all throughout the night._

…

…

Sharp claws of pure agony ripped her already fragile mind apart.

..

_Was she in Hell?_

..

If there was a hell in this world, then she concluded that this was it.

She was living in her own personal nightmare.

And so she screamed.

She screamed with all her might, pouring out all her suffering at the unfairness of this world.

There was no other explanation. No rational explanation, as she was subjected to this cruel punishment.

..

… _Mother_.

..

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

Mebuki was beginning to worry.

Her daughter continued to wail, as if she was in pain, judging from the contorted expression on that tiny face.

Admittedly, and yes, embarrassingly, she was a little shocked a while ago. She couldn't contain the scream that suddenly escaped her throat, and before she knew it, her first bonding with her daughter was via a _Screaming Fest_.

She was unorthodox that way.

And maybe, her child was unorthodox too.

As they say, unorthodox is just a complex version of weird.

Mebuki shook these strange thoughts away as she focused on her daughter.

"What's wrong with her?" Kizashi asked, worriedly looking down at their daughter.

Sakura's face was scrunched up as she wailed aloud, her tiny face was flushed from the effort that she exerted. Even then, Mebuki could remember what triggered all of this.

Those eyes.

She couldn't contain the shiver that ran down her spine.

She had never seen eyes like those before.

Instead of the emerald eyes that they were expecting, they were subjected to an eerie, yet somewhat captivating, violet-colored eyes that dominated the entirety of her daughter's eyeballs, yes, _eyeballs_. Not just the iris.

There's also those strange, wave-like lines that was seemingly engraved in her baby's eyes.

So, one couldn't really blame her for triggering what she now dubbed as their _Mother-Daughter Screaming Fest '98_.

..

_To her defense, who wouldn't be shocked to see that?_

..

"Mebuki!"

She was shaken out of her daze at her husband's worried outburst.

Oh dear, it seemed that she was lost in thought for quite awhile. That seemed to be happening a lot quite recently.

Mebuki securely readjusted Sakura and tried to calm her still wailing baby.

"Shh, Sakura-chan, it's alright, Kaachan's here."

Mebuki could see that Kizashi was getting slightly agitated, his worry was reaching new heights as Sakura continued to thrash about. He gently patted his daughter's body as it continued to squirm in discomfort. As much as he wanted to calm Sakura down, he just plain didn't know what to do. He never felt as useless as he did as of that moment.

At the corner of her eyes, she noticed that the medics assigned to her care was approaching her. To check on Sakura, no doubt.

However, it seemed that Sakura noticed it too.

Her daughter wailed in what seemed to be in a renewed vigor. Though, unlike before, her scream was piercing.

It sent shivers down their spine.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around them seemed to be weighing them down. And in a split second a strong wind suddenly whirled around the room. It's odd since they were in a closed room.

The tightly shut windows rattled violently, it's panes on the verge of breaking.

The various medical equipment around them suddenly malfunctioned and continued to beep and flash in error.

The lights continued to flicker in and out.

"What the-" one of the medics let out, utterly confused.

**_BOOM!_**

Then, pandemonium let loose.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

Pain.

That was the first sensation that he felt as he gradually regained consciousness.

His hazy mind took note that he was leaning heavily against a wall.

He tried to open his eyes.

Through blurred vision, he noted the wreckage around him.

Various objects were scattered around the room. The medical gadgets and odd tables were upturned, and the broken glass from the windows scattered all over the floor.

Even if he had already retired, his Shinobi instincts kicked in.

He forcefully cleared his mind and heightened his senses.

He caught sight of the medics that were attending his wife. All were unconscious, slumped on the ground or against the wall, most likely due to the blast that happened earlier. Thankfully, they're still alive judging from the weak chakra signatures that he felt from them.

What had caused the blast? Was there an intruder?

Suddenly, terror gripped him as he remembered his family.

Urgently, he scanned the room, and almost let out a sigh of relief as he saw them.

Almost.

Kizashi saw his wife securely holding a silently crying Sakura. He saw Mebuki moving her mouth, yet no words came out.

Confusion hit him.

Everything was too silent.

All he could hear was a low ringing tone that seemed to emanate out of nowhere.

Kizashi felt something cold trickling down the side of his neck. He weakly lifted his hand, not minding the pain that he felt, and touched the side of his head.

..

_Oh, it seemed that his hearing was damaged._

..

He thought distantly, as he saw his bloody hand.

He glanced up again towards his wife and daughter.

Gritting his teeth through the onslaught of pain, Kizashi braced himself against the wall and stood up from his slumped position. Slowly, he made his way towards his family.

No matter what, he would protect them with his life.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

With a hand lazily supporting the side of his head, a man idly tapped his pen against the wooden table, whilst looking down at the document he was currently reading. Or, well, staring at actually.

So far, it had been a quiet night.

He heaved a great sigh as he tiredly closed his eyes.

He didn't sign up for this job. Honestly, when he accepted this position, he mostly just thought about the perks that the old man often talked about. How nice of that Jiji to not inform him that he would practically live all his life confined on this stupid, yet admittedly cool, desk, signing these little evil incarnate known as paper works.

Damn Jiji.

He let out another sigh, his mind wandering yet again. He knew that he really should finish these little demons, yet even if he read a clause over and over again, his mind just refused to budge anymore.

..

_10 more minutes._

..

He thought, as he read the clock decorating the side of office.

He let a slightly goofy smile cross his face as he thought about his heavily pregnant lover that he would be seeing pretty soon.

Suddenly, a shift in the air alerted him. He straightened up from his slumped position as he heard a piercing sound ringing through the air. He couldn't place the sound, he had never heard it before, for one, it sounded inhumane. Moments later, he felt a huge chakra surge from somewhere around the village.

In a split second, he was already halfway out of the window.

"Hokage-sama." The Anbu Captain assigned to his security detail called out.

"Investigate the source." Minato commanded, before he shunshined towards the origin of the blast.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

In the cold depths of the cave, a being stirred as it felt the call of its master.

'**_Hime-sama_**.'

It was a guttural sound. It was like two people were talking at the same time, in that same husky voice.

Amidst the darkness that permeated the surrounding, cold yet reverent yellow-colored eyes snapped open.

It had been awakened.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

At the same time, a red-haired woman woke up from her light doze.

Her heart hammered against her chest for reasons unbeknownst to her.

She scanned her bedroom and felt her surroundings for any signs of intruders. Fortunately, there was none.

She settled back against the bed, a little paranoid, and wondering what had woken her up.

..

_I hope Minato would come home soon._

..

She idly thought as she protectively placed her hands against her ever-growing abdomen.

Suddenly, she felt a huge chakra surge from somewhere nearby.

Something was calling her.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

For half a moment, Minato observed the wreckage of the room.

Before his attention caught sight of a softly crying infant securely nestled against her mother.

There was no doubt in his mind that the surge came from this child. He could still feel enormous amounts of chakra that was literally pouring out of this infant.

In other situations, he would be stunned that such a child could hold so much power, but he refused himself to be dazed. This was no time for that.

Suddenly, the door banged for a couple of times before it was forced open. It seemed that the other medics had been alerted, and no doubt, the other Shinobi around the village as well. Minato noticed the various chakra signatures approaching the hospital.

"Hokage-sama!" Koutaro Shin, the Head Medic, whom was the one to open the door, couldn't contain his outburst at the sight of the Yondaime calmly standing upon the disarrayed room.

"Koutaro-san." Minato greeted, he indicated at the unconscious medics, before turning his attention at the man hovering at the bedside.

"What happened here?" Minato asked the man. However, the man just stared at him confusedly.

Letting his subordinates move his injured medics out of the room, Koutaro quickly approached the man, upon observing his injured state. He then proceed to heal him.

"H-Hokage-sama." The woman holding the baby called out to him.

"I did this."

The man intervened.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

Kizashi let the medic heal him.

The pounding ache coursing through his body slowly disappeared as the healing chakra of the medic worked its way. Gradually, he felt his hearing return.

"-ama... It was Saku-..."

"I did this." Kizashi intervened.

Momentarily, Kizashi could feel the medic's hands tensing at the sides of his face, as the man healed his damaged ears. Yet, after a moment's hesitation, the medic continued on his work to heal him.

Such was the dedication of a medic to heal an injured person.

Kizashi swallowed nervously as he felt his throat tighten as the cold, piercing blue eyes of his Hokage rested at his form.

Yet, he refused to budge at his stance.

"I did this, Hokage-sama." Kizashi repeated.

He heard his wife gasp at his impromptu confession. He quickly grabbed her hand, urging her to stay quiet.

The medic had finished healing him. The man took a step back before joining the side of the Hokage. His curious eyes stared at Kizashi behind his half-rimmed spectacles.

Everyone present in the room knew that Kizashi was lying through his teeth.

A tense moment has passed as all of them stared at the other, the silence broken by the child's occasional hiccups. Her eyes were tightly closed.

"Why do you lie?" The Hokage called his bluff, yet Kizashi was surprised that it held no anger in it, only curiosity.

"I didn't, I-"

"Do not lie to me, Shinobi." The Hokage sternly commanded. Obviously not amused by his constant lying.

Even if he was taken off active duty for a while now. Kizashi couldn't stop his trained body from standing at attention at the command of his Hokage.

Once a Shinobi, you will forever be a Shinobi.

Yet, Kizashi was torn.

He couldn't let them know about his daughter's strange eyes.

He wasn't stupid, he knew that his daughter caused the blast. He also felt the enormous chakra that was emanating from his daughter. He was in awe of it, actually.

However, Kizashi also knew what the village of Konoha did to whom they consider as prodigies. He would rather die than subject his infant child in that situation.

Granted, if Sakura decided to follow the path of a ninja, then he would not stop her. Kizashi would guide her with what he knew. But he would not tolerate it if someone were to force his child to do their bidding and take away her freedom of choice.

In the end, it all came down to Sakura.

However, not everyone would see, let alone agree, in his way of thinking. They were a Shinobi Village. Any individual whom was strong enough to fight, will be forced to fight, especially when the last war was still fresh in everyone's minds.

Kizashi watched as the Hokage's line of sight drifted from his form, towards his daughter whom was being cradled by his wife.

Swiftly, he shifted his position, shielding the view of the Hokage from his family.

At the corner of his eye, he could see the Anbu moved at his direction, probably seeing him as a threat due to his sudden movement. Fortunately, the Hokage quickly dissuaded them with an outstretched hand.

His heart was hammering against his chest at the situation. He knew that one simple move of assent from the Hokage will instantly cause his demise in a split second.

Yet, he refused to budge.

He was a man protecting his family.

Nervously, he swallowed to accommodate his suddenly dry throat, and clenched his trembling hands into tight fists at his sides.

The Hokage stared at him for a moment, and Kizashi stared back at him head on. If what he was seeing in those eyes were correct, he would've bet on his life that there was no hint of anger in them, just intense curiosity, and a hint of... Respect?

He wasn't sure, and he wasn't going to find out soon.

A sudden bout of crying interrupted his thoughts.

For a second, He worriedly looked at his side before he returned his gaze back to his Hokage. He desperately wanted to see his daughter and comfort her. Nonetheless, he couldn't move from his position.

Kizashi caught sight of a flash of red at the direction of the doorway, but he ignored it as he was still locked in what seemed to be a staring contest with the most powerful man in their village.

Call him suicidal, but yeah, he wasn't budging.

A gasp suddenly broke through the tense silence.

"Kushina." The Hokage seemed surprised as he saw the pregnant woman standing in the doorway. The woman seemed to be in her sleeping attire, as she was only wearing a simple white maternity dress that Mebuki always wore for the past few months. This strange woman, _'Kushina'_, as the Hokage called her, was even barefoot. It was like she hurriedly got up and about out of her bed and went directly in this particular hospital room.

The red-haired woman ignored him, instead, her gaze seemed to be stuck at the direction of his daughter. Slowly, she approached Sakura.

Kizashi honestly didn't know what to do. Obviously, this woman was someone close to the Hokage, judging from how the man practically oozed in weariness and concern at the sight of her.

Glancing back at the Hokage, he froze.

For the first time in his life, in that particular moment, cold blue eyes stared dangerously at him, daring him to take even one step towards this mysterious woman. Kizashi was scared shitless of the Hokage.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

Something was pulling at her very being.

The sight of the child seemed to push out all the air she had in her body, making her a bit breathless as a result. She couldn't contain her gasp.

Not minding the others inside the room, she slowly made her way towards the child. Thinking back on it, it was as if she was subjected into some kind of trance. No matter what she did, she couldn't avert her gaze away from the object of her attention, not that she wanted to for that matter.

As she neared the bedside, the mother stared at her in a confused manner. Kushina paid her no mind. At her close proximity with the child, she could feel the massive chakra flowing and surrounding that tiny body.

Unexpectedly, her own chakra reached out towards the child's own chakra. Right then and there, at that exact moment when their chakra touched and swirled together in a tantalizing manner, something changed.

It was as if in all of her existence, she was missing something vital. A huge gap in her soul that she didn't even know existed, was suddenly filled to the brim, overflowing with a fresh breath of life.

For the first time, she felt _complete_.

Kushina watched as the scrunched expression of the child's face slowly smoothed out. Her cry gradually halted and slowed down into whimpers until it abated entirely. Her little lashes fluttered before her eyes opened completely.

Kushina couldn't contain her gasp for the second time that day. Judging from the multiple jolts of chakra coming from the others, it seemed that they were quite shocked as well.

And for good reason.

"Those eyes." Koutaro breathed out, his gaze seemed to be drawn towards the eyes of the child, as were many others that were present in the room. "Bloodline? A Doujutsu?"

Kushina was still drawn to the child. Slowly, she reached her hand towards that tiny form, and gently laid her hand atop the soft pink locks of the child.

On the other hand, Mebuki was stunned at this pregnant red-haired woman that was currently touching Sakura. However, she didn't feel alarmed, not in the least, as she felt no ill feelings coming from the said woman.

* * *

…**L…**

* * *

Sakura had long since quieted down.

She had finally shook herself from her emotional turmoil, long enough to get her normally functioning mind in order. Her mind was still slightly muddled from earlier events.

Alright, for some reason, she was sent back in time. She could guess that much as she noticed her mother's young features.

But then again, this could be a complex Genjutsu.

Was she caught in the _Infinite Tsukuyomi_?

..

_No._

..

The answer came to her almost instantly.

Her analytic mind dissected every flaw in this situation.

First, the _Infinite Tsukuyomi_ ensnared the target through its light. For months, Sakura had been living in the shadows, careful to move from one shade to the other, never letting her guard down lest she be caught in its trap.

Second, the terrible technique locks a person in a Genjutsu, in which they would live in a dream world based on their respective desires.

That wouldn't make sense at all, because what she was experiencing at this moment was a _fucking_ nightmare!

Finally, the last that she remembered, she was dying. The _Infinite Tsukuyomi_ wouldn't have let her remember that, as the mighty technique would've erased all of her inhibitions and memories that would complicate the inner workings of said Genjutsu.

So, that led her to the realization that she was sent back in time. No matter how impossible that was.

But how?

How was all this made possible?

..

_I remember that I was dying, I felt it, but,… wait,… _

_… Wasn't there a woma-…_

..

She was halted from her mental ramblings when someone gently touched her head. Curiously, she opened her eyes and her gaze settled at this unknown woman.

..

_Who is this?_

..

Sakura had never seen this woman before, even in her past life.

At the mere thought of her past life, she could feel herself getting emotional again, as she did moments before.

..

_Kami, my hormones are out of whack in this body._

..

She thought, as quiet whimpers broke out of her lips.

"Shh." This giant of a woman gently placated her. "It's alright, I'm here. No harm will come to you."

For some inane reason, Sakura believed this woman.

It was strange, it seemed that this woman had some kind of hold on her.

She traced every detail of the woman's features in her mind, hoping to see something that would trigger any kind of recognition.

..

_Maybe this lady was a past patient of hers?_

..

Yet, as she stared intently, she wasn't able to put a face in it.

It didn't help that she felt really comfortable – _safe_ – in this woman's presence.

"Kushina." A masculine voice called out.

..

_'Kushina'_

..

Sakura repeated in her mind, utterly confused.

The red-haired woman glanced at the direction of the man that called out to her.

..

_'Kushina'_

..

"Kushina, what are you doing here?" The man's voice slowly came nearer, indicating his approach.

..

_I heard that name before,… but where?_

_And that voice, it sounds familiar._

..

Sakura desperately wanted to look at the man with the familiar voice. But, she couldn't crane her head, or even move the rest of her body in a functional manner.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, it seemed that the man in question heard her silent plea as he stood beside the woman and peered down at her tiny form.

She felt her heart stop.

"_Naruto?!_" Sakura tried to say, but it came out as a combination of a cry, squirts, and spits. It was kind of disgusting really, as she felt her own spit dribbling down her chin.

She tried to call out again, but to no avail. It was very frustrating in her part, that she began to whimper again, getting ready to cry.

"Shh, it's alright, please don't cry." The red-haired woman, 'Kushina', said to her quite soothingly.

..

_Wait, 'Kushina'… 'Kushina'…_

_And, now that I think about it, that's not Naruto,… That's-…!-_

..

Sakura thought, dumbfounded.

Her brain just officially short-circuited.

..

* * *

**A/N****:** Yup, it was such a long time since my last update. The reason for that is this: I'm waiting on Kishimoto's take on both Madara and Kaguya.

I just want to base my character's personalities on their Canon versions, I don't do well with _too_ OOC characters. I also want to stick with the Canon!Version of events, that means that everything that happened in Sakura's _past_, happened in the Canon!Version, except in this fic, Madara (jinchuuriki of the TenTails!Madara) had won, and proceeded with the annihilation of those who opposed him. He wasn't stopped by Black Zetsu, there's a reason for that. I will mention what happened in the next few chapters when I get the plot moving.

Finally, Kishimoto had decided to off both Madara and Kaguya (Yey! For me, since that's what I was waiting for), now I can officially start writing this story, since I now have their personalities, and subsequent events, down to pat.

Many reviewers had asked, some even PM'd me, about the official pairing in this fic. I would just like to end/sate your curiosities, as of now, Sakura will not have an official pairing. Yup, I said it, Sakura isn't up for romance right now, she can ogle at hot guys, but she will not fangirl all over 'em anytime soon. Nope, not my Sakura.

Instead, they will fanboy(?) all over her. So, what I'm trying to say is, why would Sakura settle for one hot guy, when she can have 'em all? LOL! :P

Guest reviewers, please make an ff account, I couldn't thank you properly otherwise.

**_Many thanks to the following wonderful individuals:_**

Guest#1, Freddie4153, Lord Herobrine, XxXKiaAmaratsuXxX, Sakura Lover, Guest#2, Suzululu4moe, wickedgrl123, Guest#3, MistressTriss, Shadowmage97, Agoge, Koomahana, and anqiaj.


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